Stove top  cooking apparatus

ABSTRACT

A stove top cooking apparatus includes a substantially horizontally-oriented cooking surface disposed above a heat source, and a heat distributing shield disposed between the heat source and the cooking surface. The heat distributing shield includes a plurality of elongate tents. Each tent has a V-shaped cross section along substantially its entire length. A vertex of each cross section is a highest point of the cross section. The tents are arranged in at least three substantially horizontally-oriented layers. Each layer includes a plurality of substantially parallel tents. The substantially parallel tents in one layer have a first orientation that is substantially perpendicular to a second orientation of the substantially parallel tents in an other layer.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a nonprovisional of, and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/954,335, filed Mar. 17, 2014, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to stove top cooking containers.

2. Description of Related Art

A typical stove top has a fairly small circular area (e.g., about eight inches in diameter) above which food may be evenly cooked. This is mainly due to the rather small diameter of the burner below the cooking surface (e.g., pan or griddle). This small area for even cooking limits the amount of food that may be cooked in one batch.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present invention provides a cooking apparatus that spreads out the heat from a stove top burner to a much larger cooking surface on which food may be evenly cooked.

In one embodiment, the invention comprises a stove top cooking apparatus including a substantially horizontally-oriented cooking surface disposed above a heat source, and a heat distributing shield disposed between the heat source and the cooking surface. The heat distributing shield includes a plurality of elongate tents. Each tent has a V-shaped cross section along substantially its entire length. A vertex of each cross section is a highest point of the cross section. The tents are arranged in at least three substantially horizontally-oriented layers. Each layer includes a plurality of substantially parallel tents. The substantially parallel tents in one layer have a first orientation that is substantially perpendicular to a second orientation of the substantially parallel tents in an other layer.

In another embodiment, the invention comprises a stove top cooking apparatus including a substantially horizontally-oriented cooking platform disposed above a heat source and directly supporting food during cooking. A heat distributing arrangement is disposed between the heat source and the cooking platform. The heat distributing arrangement includes a plurality of elongate tents. Each tent has two elongate planar plates connected together at an apex of the tent along respective edges of the plates. The tents are arranged in at least three substantially horizontally-oriented layers. Each layer includes a plurality of substantially parallel tents. The substantially parallel tents in one layer are substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis. The substantially parallel tents in an other layer are oriented at an angle of approximately between 45 degrees and 90 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis.

In yet another embodiment, the invention comprises a stove top cooking apparatus including a substantially horizontally-oriented cooking platform disposed above a heat source and directly supporting and transferring heat to food during cooking. A heat distributing arrangement is disposed between the heat source and the cooking platform. The heat distributing arrangement includes a plurality of elongate tents. Each tent has two elongate planar plates connected together at an apex of the tent along respective edges of the plates. The tents are arranged in at least three substantially horizontally-oriented layers. Each tent is substantially parallel to each other tent in a same layer. A first orientation of the tents in one layer is different from a second orientation of the tents in an other layer. A respective one of a plurality of gaps is disposed between each pair of adjacent tents in a same layer. The tents are arranged such that there is no linear, vertically-oriented heated air flow between the heat source and the cooking platform.

An advantage of the invention is that it may evenly spread heat from burners to a larger cooking surface.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1—A front sectional view of one embodiment of the stove top cooking apparatus of the invention.

FIG. 2—A side sectional view of the stove top cooking apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3—A side sectional schematic view of another embodiment of the stove top cooking apparatus of the invention.

FIG. 4—A side sectional schematic view of yet another embodiment of a cooking surface, heat distributing shield, and heating elements of a stove top cooking apparatus of the invention.

FIG. 5—A top view of another embodiment of the heat distributing shield of the invention, suitable for use in a stove top cooking apparatus of the invention.

FIG. 6—A side sectional view of yet another embodiment of a heat distributing shield of the invention, suitable for use in a stove top cooking apparatus of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a front sectional view of one embodiment of the stove top cooking apparatus 18 of the invention sitting on and supported by an upper surface 20 of a stove including a burner 22, only a front one of which is schematically depicted. However, there may be a rear burner 22 behind the front burner. Burners 22 may include respective grates 23 projecting upwardly therefrom. The apparatus has four rectangular upstanding walls, including a right side wall 24, a left side wall 26, a rear wall 28, and a front wall 30 (FIG. 2). The bottom edges of walls 24-30 are supported by and rest upon upper stove surface 20. Interior surfaces of walls 24-30 may include pegs (not shown) or some other notch or projection to support a heat distributing shield 32 above surface 20. Thus, walls 24-30, surface 20 and shield 32 define an air gap 34 therebetween.

Shield 32 is planar and held at a non-horizontal angle such that a left side of shield 32 above burners 22 is lower than is a right side of shield 32 which is farther away from burners 22. Thus, the heat from burners 22 may rise in a rightward direction in the air gap and collect under the right side of shield 32, thereby evenly spreading the heat across the entire shield 32. Shield 32 may also include through holes 36 (FIG. 2) which may be bigger on the right side of shield 32 than on the left side, thereby allowing more heated air to rise above the right side of shield 32, and thereby compensating for the fact that the left side of shield 32 is disposed directly above burners 22.

The front and back halves of the apparatus may be separated by an optional planar divider 38, which may include a few through holes to provide for a little air flow between the front and back halves.

About one inch below the top edges of walls 24-30 is a sheet of metal providing a horizontal cooking surface 40. In front of a front edge of cooking surface 40 is an oil catcher 42 including a V-shaped slanted draining channel 44 and a collection cup 46 and the bottom of channel 44.

In fluid communication with an air gap 48 between shield 32 and surface 40 is a heat relief valve 50 having an adjustable sized outlet for letting hot air escape and thereby controlling the temperature of cooking surface 40. Specifically valve 50 includes a lever 52 by which the size of the hot air outlet may be manually adjusted.

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of another embodiment of the stove top cooking apparatus 318 of the invention. This second embodiment of the invention differs from the first embodiment above at least in the respect that it does not include an optional separator/divider, and has a different, multi-layer heat distributing shield instead of a slanted single layer heat distributing shield. Apparatus 318 may include a vertical splash guard 354, a horizontal cooking surface 340, a heat distributing shield 332, and heat sources 322. Cooking surface 340 receives and supports food while cooking, and may be in the form of a solid metal plate or sheet, or may be a grate with openings to let heat pass therethrough. Heat sources 322 are shown as gas burners, but may be electric burners, such as a serpentine electric heating element 456 (FIG. 4) or an electric coil heating element 458.

As shown in FIG. 4, a heat distributing shield 432 under a cooking platform having an upper surface 440 includes multiple layers of parallel, elongate tents 460, each having the cross-sectional shape of an inverted or upside-down letter V. In the specific example of FIG. 4, there are three layers of parallel, elongate tents 460, with three being the minimum number of layers necessary to provide gaps between adjacent tents 460 in a same layer for heated air 461 to pass therethrough, and yet avoid the existence of linear, vertically-oriented heated air flow paths between the heating element(s) and the cooking surface.

Tents 460 in a same row may be substantially evenly spaced apart and of the same size, with an average gap 462 between adjacent tents 460 being less than a width 464 of tents 460. Tents 460 in vertically-adjacent layers may be crisscrossing or oriented at 90 degree angles relative to each other. For example, all of tents 460 in the top layer and the bottom layer in FIG. 4 may be parallel to each other and to the page of FIG. 4, and may be perpendicular to each of the tents 460 in the middle layer, which are oriented into the page of FIG. 4.

The bottom layer of tents 460 may be supported by flanges, pegs, or similar supporting elements on opposing upstanding vertical walls of the cooking apparatus. Alternatively, the opposing upstanding vertical walls may include recesses or throughholes for receiving and supporting the tents of the bottom layer. Other layers of tents 460 may each be supported by the layer immediately below each supported layer.

Each tent 460 may include two elongate, planar, rectangular plates 463, 465 connected together at an apex 467 of the tent along respective longitudinal edges 469 of the plates.

The embodiment of FIG. 4 shows only three tents 460 in the middle layers for clarity of illustration. However, the top view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 shows seven tents 568 in the middle layer, seven tents 566 in the top layer, and six tents 570 in the bottom layer. Tents 570 in the bottom layer may be supported by opposing flanges, ledges or shoulders 572, 574 in front wall 576 and rear wall 578 of the cooking apparatus.

Tents in a same layer may be rigidly attached to each other at their two opposite ends. For example, one end of tents 566 in the top layer may be attached to a common frame 579, and the other end of tents 566 in the top layer may be attached to another common frame 581. Tents in a same one of any or all of the other layers may also be rigidly attached to each other at their two opposite ends.

Although the heat distributing shield is shown in FIGS. 4-5 as having only three layers for clarity of illustration, the heat distributing shield of the invention preferable has at least four layers, with a five-layer heat distributing shield 632 being shown in FIG. 6. Shield 632 includes a topmost layer 680, a second topmost layer 682 having six tents, a middle layer 684, a second bottommost layer 686 having seven tents, and a bottommost layer 688.

As best shown in FIG. 6, the tents in a layer having the same orientation as the tents in an other layer may be horizontally offset from the tents in the other layer by about half the distance between adjacent tents. For example, adjacent tents 660 a and 660 c in layer 686 may be positioned a distance 690 apart; and tent 660 b in layer 682 and tent 660 c may be a positioned a horizontal distance 692 apart, wherein distance 692 is about half of distance 690. Thus, the tents in alternating layers may have a same orientation and may be horizontally staggered relative to each other.

In one embodiment, each tent in any of the embodiments of FIGS. 4-6 may be about ¾ inch wide and may be separated from adjacent tents by about ½ inch on each side. Each layer of the shield may further expand the distribution of heat by conduction to a sequentially wider area under the cooking surface.

Both the bottommost layer of the heat distributing shield and the topmost layer may be exposed within the cooking apparatus such that heated air may enter and exit the heat distributing shield relatively freely.

Although the heat distributing shield has been described as being merely supported by the periphery, walls or frame of the cooking apparatus, it is also possible for the heat distributing shield to be fixedly attached to the periphery, walls or frame of the cooking apparatus.

Each tent has been shown in the drawings as extending substantially the entire width or depth of the cooking apparatus. However, in order to be flexibly adjustable to spread heat to only smaller cooking areas on the fixed-size cooking surface, each tent may extend only a fraction (e.g., about 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, etc.) of the width or depth of the cooking apparatus, and may be laid end-to-end in a same layer with some overlap for heat conduction between the touching tent ends. Thus, some of the tents may be removed in one or both perpendicular directions to thereby confine the footprint of the heat distributing shield to the smaller desired cooking area. In another embodiment, each tent is telescoping to provide an adjustable length to thereby confine the footprint of the heat distributing shield to the smaller desired cooking area. A vertical divider may be provided in these embodiments in order to confine the heated air to the space below the smaller desired cooking area.

Alternating layers of tents are shown in the drawings as being oriented at angles of about 90 degrees relative to each other. However, in other embodiments, the tents of one layer are oriented at angles between 45 and 90 degrees relative to the orientation of the tents of another layer, e.g., an adjacent layer. There are many possible combinations of layer orientations within the scope of the invention such that there exists no linear, vertically-oriented heated air path through the heat distributing shield. For example, the tents of each layer may be offset about 45 degrees from the tents in the one or two vertically adjacent layers.

Although this invention has been described in specific detail, it will be understood that many variations and modifications may be effected within the scope and spirit of the invention as described in the description and claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A stove top cooking apparatus, comprising: a heat source; a substantially horizontally-oriented cooking surface disposed above the heat source; and a heat distributing shield disposed between the heat source and the cooking surface, the heat distributing shield including a plurality of elongate tents, each said tent having a V-shaped cross section along substantially its entire length, a vertex of each cross section being a highest point of the cross section, the tents being arranged in at least three substantially horizontally-oriented layers, each said layer including a plurality of substantially parallel said tents, said substantially parallel tents in one said layer having a first orientation that is substantially perpendicular to a second orientation of said substantially parallel tents in an other said layer.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the other said layer is vertically adjacent to the one said layer.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said substantially parallel tents in a third said layer have the second orientation, the third layer also being vertically adjacent to the one said layer.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tents in a same said layer are rigidly attached to each other.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tents in a same said layer are spaced apart from one another.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the tents in alternating layers have a same said orientation and are horizontally staggered relative to each other.
 7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein a gap between adjacent said tents is smaller than a width of one the adjacent said tents.
 8. A stove top cooking apparatus, comprising: a heat source; a substantially horizontally-oriented cooking platform disposed above the heat source and configured to directly support food during cooking; and a heat distributing arrangement disposed between the heat source and the cooking platform, the heat distributing arrangement including a plurality of elongate tents, each said tent having two elongate planar plates connected together at an apex of the tent along respective edges of the plates, the tents being arranged in at least three substantially horizontally-oriented layers, each said layer including a plurality of substantially parallel said tents, said substantially parallel tents in one said layer being substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis, said substantially parallel tents in an other said layer being oriented at an angle of approximately between 45 degrees and 90 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the substantially parallel tents in the other said layer are oriented at an angle of approximately 90 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis.
 10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the other said layer is vertically adjacent to the one said layer.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said substantially parallel tents in a third said layer are oriented at an angle of approximately between 45 degrees and 90 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis, the third layer also being vertically adjacent to the one said layer.
 12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the tents in a same said layer are rigidly attached to each other.
 13. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the tents in a same said layer are spaced apart from one another.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the tents in alternating layers have a same said orientation and are horizontally staggered relative to each other.
 15. A stove top cooking apparatus, comprising: a heat source; a substantially horizontally-oriented cooking platform disposed above the heat source and configured to directly support and transfer heat to food during cooking; and a heat distributing arrangement disposed between the heat source and the cooking platform, the heat distributing arrangement including a plurality of elongate tents, each said tent having two elongate planar plates connected together at an apex of the tent along respective edges of the plates, the tents being arranged in at least three substantially horizontally-oriented layers, each said tent being substantially parallel to each other said tent in a same said layer, a first orientation of said tents in one said layer being different from a second orientation of said tents in an other said layer, a respective one of a plurality of gaps is disposed between each pair of adjacent said tents in a same said layer, said tents being arranged such that there is no linear, vertically-oriented heated air flow between the heat source and the cooking platform.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the other said layer is vertically adjacent to the one said layer.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said substantially parallel tents in a third said layer have the second orientation, the one said layer being sandwiched between the other said layer and the third said layer.
 18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the tents in a same said layer are rigidly attached to each other.
 19. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the tents in a same said layer are spaced apart from one another.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein a gap between adjacent said tents is smaller than a width of one the adjacent said tents. 